How To Develop a Neutral Accent?

It is essential to learn how to develop a neutral accent. English is spoken in most countries. However, each country has an accent that is native to it.

The Americans have an American accent, while the British have a British accent. Similarly, Australians have an Aussie accent, which is a lot different than the others; of course, Indians have a host of regional accents. As a result, on occasions, it is difficult for people from different countries to communicate effortlessly.

Also, when a person speaks with an accent, people often focus more on discerning the accent than on the message being given.

Therefore, it is always desirable to have a neutral accent while speaking English with people from other parts of the world. 

WHAT DOES HAVING A ‘NEUTRAL’ ACCENT MEAN?

Unfortunately, there is no official neutral accent. Therefore, the closest thing to being accent-neutral would be to incorporate some of the speech syllables from the accent of the person one is talking to. 

Each accent has different ways of pronouncing a few sounds. If one masters this, they have a better chance of making people understand them.

ADVANTAGES

• Having no accent makes it easier for one to deliver their message with ease.
• It becomes easier to talk to business partners from other parts of the country.
• Above all, becoming accent neutral helps one to blend in with the world around them.

TIPS TO DEVELOP A NEUTRAL ACCENT

As mentioned, it is better to try becoming accent-neutral. Here are a few tips one can follow to become accent-neutral. 

• Drop the accent

Try to get rid of your native accent. Be it a North Indian, South Indian, West Indian, or East Indian accent, it is better to let go of it before learning a new one. This makes it easier to learn pronunciation. 

• Listening and observing

Listening and observing people talk in the accent one wants to master is the best way to learn it.

• Practice speaking out loud

Speaking out loud helps one to hear their own voice. This helps with improving pronunciation and develops the accent further.

• Phonetics

Each accent has a way of pronouncing a word. Every alphabet has different stress-levels in different accents. Once people get the hang of it, they become one step closer to becoming accent-neutral.

Vowels also help distinguish the type of accent a person has. In a few accents, vowels are pronounced shorter, whereas, in other accents, vowels are stretched out.

• Speech Melody

A person can convey a specific meaning by the way they pronounce a word. For example, the word ‘yes’ gives different meanings under different circumstances.

Colleagues and clients often get distracted by an accent and waver from the conversation’s primary intention. Hence, being accent-neutral at the workplace is of utmost importance.

Accent neutralization also helps an employee who might have to converse with people from around the world for work. Being accent-neutral has more pros than cons and helps an employee to develop in their career.

To know more about English-speaking skills and accent training, contact us for a free consultation.